Desayuno

When the afternoon sun is at its most vicious; and you are beginning to seriously second guess that distant ancestor who first crawled out of the sea onto the hot, dry shore; and you have been having fantasies of some kind of stellar catastrophe ejecting your home planet into the cold, soothing void of space; it is time for a tall glass of my favorite Senegalese drink: gingembre. Read more

What looks like a pear, is textured like a pear, and tastes like a pear? It’s guava juice! These handy bottles are sold at almost every corner store in Dakar and are an excellent way to start the day. Thirty humid degrees in January? Sandy wind blowing in from Mauritania? There is no way you are going to find a bottle with a clean top. But who cares! We’ve got guava juice!

One of the first things I learned in Dakar is that if you want lunch, you need to woo Suzanne. She calls the office first thing in the morning and asks who will want to eat; four hours later she comes in, carrying a tower of fragrant tupperwares. After one week here, I have found that the longer you chat with Suzanne, the more generous your portions are. For dessert, if you’ve been very nice to her you can have Jus de Bissap, a sweet tea made with hibiscus flowers and served ice-cold. Read more